I recently unearthed a hardback Dragonflight novel in my packed items. I was wanting to know if it might be a first edition. I have no knowledge of these things, but I am curious. The information listed is:

THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN is a trademark of Anne McCaffrey. Reg. U.S. Pat & TM. Off.

A Del Rey (copyright) Book
Published by The Ballantine Publishing Group
Copyright 1968 by Anne McCaffreyDragondex copyright 1978 by Wendy Glasser

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by The Ballantine Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.

A short version of this novel, titled "Dragonrider." first appeared in Analog, (copyright)by the Conde Nast Publications, Inc.

Given the very last line, I'd say you have a 61st printing- which surprises me as I wouldn't think they'd done that many hardback printings. But considering also the fact that there is a website listed, this is definitely not an early printing of the Del Rey hardcover as the first printing of the Del Rey hardcover preceeded the web by many years.

The Del Rey hardcover is also not the first hardcover version of Dragonflight. In the US it was preceeded by one from Walker and Co, and that was quikcly followed by the UK version from Rapp and Whiting.

Not as such. There is info on some individual books in the Collecting Highlights posts, but no attempt to be comprehensive. If you want something comprehensive, then I'd see about getting Becky's Collecting Guide.